When you think about the most popular tourist attractions in the United States, quite a few names come to mind. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite are just a few of the names that baby boomers consider when looking for the best places to visit. For boomers, something about the outdoors dominates the list of some of the best tourist attractions around.
To properly determine which tourist attractions are the most popular with this age group, we turn to YouGov. Looking at data from the second quarter of 2024, YouGov has ranked the most popular tourist attractions in descending order based on the percentage of people who have a positive opinion of each destination.
Why Is This Important?
The US travel and tourism industry is the largest globally, significantly contributing to the economy. In 2022 alone, more than $1.2 trillion in direct spending was spent on tourist activities. More than 15 million workers around the country are directly or indirectly involved in travel, which makes tourism a huge money maker for hundreds of public brands we regularly discuss on 24/7 Wall St.
15. Sequoia National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 73%
Established as a national park in 1890, Sequoia National Park offers tourists 404,064 acres of protected land. The park is best known for the giant sequoia trees that contributed to the name, including the General Sherman tree, which is considered the largest tree on Earth by volume. In fact, ten of the largest trees in the world are housed inside Sequoia National Park, which is why 1.1 million visitors stop by annually.
14. American Museum of Natural History
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 74%
The American Museum of Natural History has 21 connected buildings and 45 exhibition halls in New York City. The museum houses 32 million specimens of rocks, meteorites, plants, fungi, fossils, minerals, and more. With a full-time staff of 225, 120 specialized attractions are available annually across the 2.5 million square feet of exhibition space. Over 5 million people regularly walk through the museum doors yearly.
13. National Museum of Natural History
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 74%
Home to more than 146 million specimens of plants, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human remains, the National Museum of Natural History is unlike any other place in the country. The second most-visited museum in the country, over 4.4 million visitors walked through the museum’s doors in 2023. The museum offers free admission 364 days a year to help visitors explore its 1.5 million square feet of exhibitions.
12. National Air and Space Museum
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 75%
Few places on Earth are as unique as the National Air and Space Museum. Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum stands out, welcoming 3.1 million visitors in 2023 alone. This makes the park the fourth most-visited museum in the US and 11th globally. Housed within its buildings are some of the most unique aspects of the history and science of aviation and spaceflight.
11. Rocky Mountain National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 77%
Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located northwest of Denver that offers 265,461 acres of untouched land. Over 4.3 million visitors came to see this land in 2023, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country last year. There are five total visitor centers, which help guide tourists who quickly learn the entire park is surrounded by forests on every side.
10. Redwood National and State Parks
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 78%
The Redwood National and State Park area, which consists of one national park and three California state parks, covers 139,000 acres in northern California. The area is famous for preserving 45% of the redwood forests, home to the redwood tree, the tallest tree in the world. Over 1.5 million people visit this area annually, and it was designated a World Heritage Site in 1980. Covering more than 2 million acres, much of the area that makes up the park has never been touched, even with the rush of new residents during the 1850s gold rush.
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 78%
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers 522,419 acres of protected land across North Carolina and Tennessee. The park is recognized as home to some of the country’s most beautiful waterfalls, mountains, and unique biodiversity. The park also offers historical structures that were first built by European-American settlers. On average, the park receives approximately 12 million visitors every year.
8. Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 79%
Arguably one of the most unique tourist attractions in the United States, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is unlike anything else. The sculpture features 60-foot-tall heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four presidents were chosen to represent America’s birth, growth, development, and preservation. Around 2.5 million people visit Mount Rushmore every year.
7. Yosemite National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 81%
One of the most important national parks in the country, Yosemite National Park is located in California and offers 759,620 pristine acres. The area was first settled in 1851 but was believed to have been home to Native Americans as far back as 4,000 years ago. Just under 4 million visitors stopped by Yosemite in 2023. Thanks to its waterfalls, streams, and biological diversity, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
6. Lincoln Memorial
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 82%
If you’re visiting the Washington, D.C., area, a stop at the Lincoln Memorial is a must. Built between 1914 and 1922, the memorial honors over 8 million people who visited it in 2023. The memorial has been a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement and is open to the public 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
5. Niagara Falls
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 84%
Niagara Falls, located on the border between Ontario and the state of New York, is one of the best-known waterfalls in the world. Horseshoe Falls, as it is commonly known, is the most popular of the three falls that make up Niagara and stands about 187 feet high. It’s believed that over 12 million people visit Niagara Falls annually, and the area has welcomed tourists for the last 200 years.
4. Smithsonian Institution
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 85%
Not just one individual location, the Smithsonian Institution is popular with boomers as it is home to museums, research centers, and even education opportunities. It’s the largest type of complex in the world and was created by the US government to increase knowledge for every visitor. More than 154 million items are spread across the 19 museums, 21 libraries, nine research centers, and zoos that comprise the Smithsonian Institution.
3. Yellowstone National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 86%
While Yellowstone National Park has long been popular with tourists, the popularity of the television show “Yellowstone” has undoubtedly increased overall visits to the park. It was President Grant who signed Yellowstone into America’s first national park on March 1, 1872. Since then, it has attracted tourists to the park and Old Faithful geyser, which provides baby boomers with a look at geothermal activity they can’t find close to home.
2. Grand Canyon National Park
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 88%
Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular tourist attractions for baby boomers is the Grand Canyon National Park, which you must see in order to truly believe its scale. Considered one of the Wonders of the World, the park covers over 1.2 million acres and received over 4.7 million visitors in 2023 alone. Most visits include a stop at the South Rim of the park, which offers some of the best views anywhere in the United States.
1. Statue of Liberty
- Percentage of baby boomers with a favorable opinion: 88%
One of the most famous tourist attractions in the United States, the Statue of Liberty is an important destination and symbol. Gifted to the United States by France to celebrate the centennial anniversary of American independence, the Statue of Liberty receives millions of visitors every year. Because of its importance, the statue is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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